Oh pasta and cheese, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways… Baked in a casserole dish like this Mexican Spaghetti Bake is sure to please!
Don’t you just love it when you can throw together a yummy casserole with pantry staples? It’s such a great way to use up items that may have been sitting around and forgotten, usually in the back of the cupboard. That’s exactly how this Mexican Spaghetti Bake came to be. In my week-long quest to purge the pantry so I have less stuff to pack and move this week I pulled out some random canned goods and went to work.
BTW, does anyone know if canned goods go bad? I came across a can of cream of chicken soup that had a date on the bottom of October 2006! If my calculations are correct, that poor can of soup made it through 6 moves (yes, Navy families move a lot!). But don’t worry, I didn’t use it in this recipe, I tossed it in the garbage so it wouldn’t have to endure yet another move. However, I did find perfectly acceptable cans of tomato soup, enchilada sauce, chopped green chiles, and sliced olives. On top of that I came across two open boxes of spaghetti, each half used, what’s up with that? Sounded like enough ingredients to make some sort of Mexican inspired casserole, similar to the popular Mexican Taco Casserole I made a while ago. I had already defrosted some ground turkey (you could use ground beef) and had a brick of Monterey Jack cheese that needed to be used up. And, last but not least, I had 4 wedges of Laughing Cow Queso Fresco & Chipotle cheese just sitting in the cheese drawer of my fridge so they got thrown in the mix as well!
I have to say this is one really fantastic recipe. Not only is it easy to throw together, it tastes great and you can practically add anything into it you like. If I had a can of corn or black beans I probably would have used them too. The enchilada sauce was only medium spicy so I added some additional chipotle powder and cumin. I probably would have used a chipotle chile with some of the adobo sauce but I didn’t want to open another can for just one chile. Instead, I added a couple of dashes of Chipotle Cholula on my serving when I ate it for even more spice. I just LOVE that stuff! But if you’re not into chipotle spice as much as I am then leave it out. Basically, adjust seasoning to your own taste. Some like it hot, some not.
So go check your cupboards right now. I bet you have enough ingredients to throw together this awesome Mexican Spaghetti Bake tonight for dinner. Your family will thank you!
- 1 box spaghetti
- 1½ lbs. ground turkey
- ½ onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can enchilada sauce
- 1 can tomato soup
- 1 sm. can diced green chiles
- ¼ - ½ tsp. chipotle powder
- ½ tsp. cumin
- 3½ C. shredded cheese (I used Monterey Jack)
- 4 wedges Laughing Cow Queso Fresco & Chipotle cheese (opt., but good)
- Garnish with sliced olives, diced tomatoes and sliced green onions
- Preheat oven to 350º
- In large skillet, brown ground turkey, onions and garlic. Season with chipotle powder and cumin, and a little salt & pepper, if desired. Drain fat.
- Add enchilada sauce, tomato soup, green chiles. Stir to combine well, let simmer while cooking the pasta.
- In large pot, cook pasta al dente according to package directions. Drain and return to pot.
- Add turkey mixture and combine well.
- In large casserole dish (I used a 2.8 liter one), layer half of spaghetti mixture. Dot with chunks of Laughing Cow cheese (if using, or you could even use cream cheese if you want). Sprinkle with half of shredded cheese.
- Top with remaining spaghetti mixture. Press down with back of spoon.
- Sprinkle top with remaining cheese.
- Bake about 20 minutes until hot and bubbly.
- Garnish with sliced olives, diced tomatoes and sliced green onions.
- Add additional hot sauce, if desired.
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YUM! Mexican and Italian are my two favorites, so this was made for me 🙂
Looks great Judy! Soup from 2006! Too funny. 🙂 Have a stress free move. 🙂
Yes, they definitely go bad – I’m glad you tossed that! This spaghetti bake sounds amazing, something my whole family would love. That cheesy goodness is making me swoon a bit….
Actually canned foods can last a long time especially commercially canned. Unless the can is bulging or shows signs of damage the can of soup was probably just fine.
That is just the kind of casserole that my family would love. The fact that it’s made with pantry staples makes it all the better for me!
I’ve always wanted to try a Mexican Spaghetti Bake, but those pictures are making me want to try it right this very minute! This looks heavenly!
I had to clean out my dad’s pantry after he passed away. He had spices that belonged to my mom from over 20 years prior. Let’s not even start on how many jars of maple syrup and canned syrup the man had, oy.
I love this dish. Sometimes the “clean out the pantry” meals turn into family favourites. This one looks like a serious hit.
I use to give my mother-in-law a hard time about her overly expired pantry items…but I never do anymore 😉
Sounds yummy! I’ve added it to my planner for this week.
BTW, you are missing the pasta from your ingredient list.
Amy, thanks for pointing that out! I go add it now.
Until I get the undated recipe, how much pasta did u use?
I used a box…which is typically 1 lb.
This was really good! I saw it on Facebook and needed some new recipes to use up some ground beef. Wow, creamy, delish, and easy. I used cream cheese instead of laughing cow and added black beans and corn. My enchilada sauce must’ve been a little spicy – I added a bit of sour cream at the end but so good! Thanks for sharing!
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed this Danielle! Thanks for letting me know 🙂
Could it be put in freezer for later?
I haven’t tried freezing it so I can’t tell you how it would be… but I’m assuming it would freeze like any other casserole with pasta
Recipe should have specified size of ‘cans’. I assumed enchilada sauce can is small 14.5. Otherwise recipe was easy to follow. I cut the meat in half only using 3/4 lb turkey meat.
Yes, you’re correct, although I believe I used Old El Paso and the can is 10 oz. Thanks for pointing that out!
Re canned goods: yes, they can expire. Takes quite some time, but yes. Years ago I questioned how old something was (went through some moves) and called an 800-number listed on the can (you can usually find the info online now if it’s not on the can) and through the lot number, they could tell when it was processed. It was something like 2 years past the recommended shelf life and also recommended that I toss it. Which I did. And I think it was some sort of vegetable, not soup or anything like that. Hope this helps.
Great info… thanks for sharing!
Good info… thanks for sharing!
I made this using shredded chicken instead of turkey and didn’t have tomato soup so used tomato sauce. Soooo good!! This will go on my “must have” recipes list!!!
Sounds delicious!
1 or 2 pounds of spahetti noodles? I am guessing 1?
Yes, one pound